Colt 1877 Lightning & Thunderer Revolvers Across Distinct Variations

At Collectors Firearms, the Colt 1877 Lightning & Thunderer represents a distinctive group of nineteenth-century revolvers within our selection, with Lightning and Thunderer examples offering their own caliber, configuration, condition, and production differences. Introduced as Colt’s first production double-action handgun, the Model 1877 combined a new action with a compact frame and was produced in several configurations. Today, surviving examples give collectors plenty to sort through beyond simply choosing between the two familiar names.

Our Colt Model 1877 revolvers may range from honest, well-used guns to examples retaining considerable original finish, along with different barrel lengths, grips, finishes, and other variations. That is where this category becomes interesting to us. A Lightning or Thunderer may be immediately recognizable, but the individual revolver still has to stand on its own.

Lightning or Thunderer: Start With the Colt You Want

Those looking through our Colt 1877 Lightning Revolvers for sale will find the .38-caliber side of the Model 1877 family. Colt Lightning revolvers were made in several configurations, so finding the model does not necessarily end the search. Barrel length, blue or nickel finish, grip type, markings, condition, and originality can give one Lightning a very different character from the next.

The Colt Thunderer revolver takes the Model 1877 into .41 caliber. Some buyers want one good example of either variation, while others want both represented in a Colt collection. Within either model, barrel length, finish, grips, originality, and surviving condition can give collectors very different examples to consider.

An Early Double-Action Colt With Its Own Collecting Appeal

The Colt 1877 double-action revolvers belong to a different mechanical chapter than the Single Action Army Revolver. The Model 1877 could be operated double action rather than requiring the hammer to be manually cocked for every shot, making it an important departure within Colt’s revolver production of the period.

Its lockwork was also notably intricate, which makes mechanical condition worth particular attention on Model 1877s that have survived more than a century. When we offer one, we consider what distinguishes that particular Model 1877 beyond the Lightning or Thunderer designation.

What Separates One Model 1877 From Another

A high-condition Lightning may appeal to one collector, while another may prefer a Thunderer showing honest period use or pursue a particular barrel length, finish, grip material, or less common configuration. That variety gives Colt Model 1877 revolvers more depth than a two-name category might suggest.

We photograph each Model 1877 we offer and describe the condition and characteristics we can identify. Depending on the example, we may note remaining blue or nickel finish, grip type, markings, mechanical operation, later changes, or history accompanying the revolver. With an 1877, those specifics are what turn a familiar model into a particular collector piece.

Find Your Next Colt 1877 Lightning or Thunderer

Our Model 1877 selection is for collectors who know what a Lightning or Thunderer can add to a Colt collection and want to see the actual examples we have to offer. Review the revolvers listed below, and if one deserves a closer conversation, call us at 877-214-9327.